Acoustic Inspection of Pipelines

Sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) are most often caused by the long-term buildup of roots, fats, oils or grease within a pipe. An acoustic inspection is a cost-effective way to detect blockages before an overflow occurs.

What is an Acoustic Inspection?

The operator places a transmitter in a manhole that transmits a series of tones through the air gap within the pipe. A receiver is placed in an adjacent manhole and it listens for degradation in tones compared to a clean pipe. Sophisticated signal processing algorithms analyze the data in less than three minutes and rate the severity of the blockage on a scale from 0 to 10. Data that is collected is run through a quality control process that eliminates redundant and/or inaccurate testing.